Standardized testing of the quality of washing, cleaning and drying processes in aggregates

ABSTRACT

A test medium and the use of a corresponding test material are provided for detecting the mechanical load in different assemblies, such as, for example, washing, cleaning and drying machines. A substrate is used, which under mechanical stress loses part of its volume, its weight, or its area, the loss then related to the treatment or processing in the assemblies. The test medium is preferably formed by a fabric composite.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Applicants claim priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 of European ApplicationNo. EP03006617.9 filed on Mar. 25, 2003. Applicants also claim priorityunder 35 U.S.C. §365 of PCT/IB2004/000825filed on Mar. 19, 2004. Theinternational application under PCT article 21(2) was not published inEnglish.

The invention relates to a method for the testing of assemblies in whichprocesses for the washing, cleaning and drying of sheetlike textilestructures are conducted. The invention relates, furthermore, to a testmeans for carrying out the testing of assemblies in which the washing,cleaning and drying processes are conducted.

DEFINITIONS

The term “sheetlike textile structures” is to be understood as meaning,in particular, woven and knitted fabrics, hosiery articles, nonwovensand felts.

What is to be understood by assemblies in which washing, cleaning anddrying processes are to be conducted are those appliances in which, inparticular, sheetlike textile structures are processed. The processingmay involve washing the sheetlike textile structure (washing machines orcleaning machines) or drying it after a washing process (driers).

PRIOR ART

These assemblies consist, as a rule, of a rotating drum, into which thesheetlike textile structure to be processed, in the form of clothing orthe like, is introduced. In addition, further additives, such as stones,washing agents, softeners or other aids or additives, may be added. Bythe drum being rotated, the sheetlike textile fabric is tumbled, so thatthe latter is subjected to mechanical stress together with water andadditives. As a result, the sheetlike textile structure is loaded,specifically such that individual fibers and/or fibrous composites aresubjected to high mechanical stress, and tearing, tears or other fiberbreaks thus occur.

In order to test the quality of such assemblies with regard to themechanical load which they exert on the sheetlike textile structure,there is, for example, according to the prior art, provision forproducing what are known as test means whereby it can be established howhigh the mechanical stress on textile fabric is during washing, cleaningand drying processes in different assemblies.

For this purpose, it is proposed to use test materials in the form of afibrous fabric which has predetermined punched-out holes in the fabricwhich then, owing to the mechanical stress during the washing, cleaningand drying operation, are correspondingly enlarged in that theindividual fiber strands or textile fibers come loose. However, thefiber strands do not come loose from the entire fibrous composite, butare firmly enclosed at their ends in the fibrous composite and comeloose from the latter only in the region of the hole.

The number of fibrous strands which have come loose in the region of thehole is then an indication of the mechanical load on the textile fabricduring the washing, cleaning and drying operation. The more textilefibers or threads which have come loose, the higher is the mechanicalload.

The mechanical force which acts on the sheetlike textile structureduring the washing, cleaning and drying process is therefore criticalfor the mechanical processing of the sheetlike textile structure. Thisforce, in turn, is an indication of the quality of the correspondingassembly, in particular of the washing, cleaning and drying machines.Repeated flexing, stretching and tumbling or milling movements, whichare all intended to wash the dirt out of the sheetlike textilestructures, have an adverse effect on the quality of the sheet liketextile structure.

A further alternative test method is, in particular by means oflong-time measurements, to test the tearing strength of the mechanicallyprocessed fabric which has been washed in a washing drum.

The abovementioned methods are highly complicated and costly and may beaffected greatly, particularly in tearing strength, by chemicalinfluences, such as bleaching agents. Furthermore, comparison with othertypes of investigation is very difficult, since the initial textileproduct and other parameters are not standardized.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The object of the invention is to provide a test means and a method anda use of a test means, by means of which the mechanical activity of theassembly and the associated mechanical load exerted on sheetlike textilestructures, such as, for example, woven and knitted fabrics, nonwovens,etc., during a washing, cleaning and drying process by means ofdifferent drums can be determined in a standardized manner. The aim istherefore to be that the mechanical load exerted on the sheetliketextile structure by the assembly and the comparison of differentassemblies with one another can be implemented as accurately as possibleby such a test means and by means of the method and also the use of thetest means.

A field assessment is thus to be ensured.

SOLUTION FOR ACHIEVING THE OBJECTS

The essential idea of the invention is to propose a substrate or a testmeans which, under mechanical stress, loses part of its volume, of itsweight and/or of its area, the test means having been exposed to atreatment of, for example, a washing, cleaning and drying process.

As a result of the mechanism which occurs during the treatment of thesubstrate, in particular tumbling, flexing, stretching or the like, moreor fewer fractions of the volume, weight or area are loosened from thetest means, depending on the loading intensity. The number of size ofthe volume, of the weight or of the corresponding area which has comeloose stands as a measure of the mechanical load which has occurred.

The substantial advantage of the invention is that a standardized methodfor testing the mechanical and/or chemical load exerted by differentassemblies during washing, cleaning and drying purposes can be carriedout. It is consequently possible, by the processing of the respectivestandardized test means, to discover how high the mechanical loadexerted by the corresponding assembly to be tested is in comparison withthe remaining assemblies.

As a highly preferred example, a fabric is proposed which consists, forexample, of a linen weave and has specified dimensions. The test meansproposed here has, in addition, colored subdivision threads which makeit possible in a simple way to count up the loosening of thecorresponding threads which is caused by the mechanical loading.

In principle, however, all natural and synthetic fibers are also theirmixture are possible. The fiber fineness, the yarn linear density, thenumber of threads per cm, the weave and the design of the fabric may bestandardized and appropriately adapted to the intended use.

As a further application example, three-dimensional test means may alsobe provided, which consist of different individual elements and areconnected to one another. Here, too, the loosening of the individualelements is a measure of the mechanical loading caused by processing inthe corresponding assemblies.

Further advantageous embodiments may be gathered from the followingdescription and from the drawing.

DRAWING

FIG. 1 shows a diagrammatic top view of the construction of a testmeans, here, in particular, of a fabric with a correspondingconstruction.

DESCRIPTION OF AN EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 illustrates a test means 1 in the form of a fabric. This fabricconsists of threads 2 and threads 3, the threads 2, 3 being arrangedpreferably perpendicularly to one another.

The test means 1 proposed here has, for example, two sections 4 and 5,each section consisting preferably of 500 threads (horizontal threads3).

The respective sections 4, 5 have boundary threads 6 which areidentified by color and by means of which it is to become easier tocount up the loosened threads 2, 3 correspondingly.

In addition, the selvedge 7 is likewise identified by color. The ideaaccording to the invention is, then, to use such a test means 1, whichis illustrated as in FIG. 1 and is preferred, as a test means forestablishing the mechanical processing carried out by assemblies

In the case of the test means 1 proposed here, the assessment of thepatterns after mechanical processing takes place by reference to theloosened threads after the respective processing/treatment in thecorresponding assembly.

In this case, different assessment criteria may be adopted, and in thiscase it is proposed to use the following subdivision:

-   -   Threads removed completely: these are all the threads which are        no longer anchored in the fabric composite.    -   Threads removed by more than 50%: these are all the threads        which are loosened from the fabric composite by more than 50%.    -   Threads removed by more than 30%: these are all the threads        which are loosened from the fabric composite by more than 30%.    -   All threads removed: the total of the removed threads according        to the above listing.

The assessment may also take place automatically, in that the processedfabric is laid under a detection device, and the correspondinglyloosened threads are then detected. In this case, the boundary threads 6and the selvedge 7 which are identified by color provide assistance. Inaddition, threads which are provided in color in the weft direction andwhich likewise make assessment possible may also be provided.

Alternatively to the colored implementation, threads may be providedwhich differ from the remaining threads in terms of size and/or theirnature.

In principle, however, all natural and synthetic fibers and also theirmixture are possible. Protection is not to be restricted to the testmeans proposed here as an exemplary embodiment. On the contrary, thosetest means are to be covered in which a reaction to the mechanicalloading caused by processing in the corresponding assemblies, such aswashing, cleaning and drying machines, can be triggered.

1. A method for standardized testing of assemblies in which washing,cleaning and drying processes are conducted, by treatment and effect ofthe treatment on textile fabric, comprising the following steps: a.introducing into the assembly a test article comprising a two- orthree-dimensional article formed by individual elements or sectionswhich are connected to one another and are at least partially displacedor come loose due when acted upon by mechanical loads which occur as aresult of the washing, cleaning and drying processes; b. processing thetest article in the assembly; and c. counting the sections or elementswhich have completely or partially come loose from the test article. 2.A test article for standardized ascertainment of stress exerted ontextile fabrics in assemblies carrying out washing, cleaning, or dryingprocesses comprising a fabric having a plurality of interconnectedthreads and a plurality of boundary threads differing in at least one ofcolor, size, or constitution from the interconnected threads, saidinterconnected threads being at least partially displaced or detachedwhen subjected to mechanical stress during the washing, cleaning, ordrying processes, said boundary threads forming a plurality ofsubdivisions in said fabric from which said interconnected threadsextend to facilitate counting of the interconnected threads partiallydisplaced or detached as a result of the stress exerted during thewashing, cleaning, or drying processes.